Red Snapper Stew

A while back, before Fat Tuesday, I happened to visit New Orleans, Louisiana for work.  My trip happened to coincide with Tabasco Week.  The week-long event featured "restaurant week."  Restaurants across The Big Easy featured special menus with dishes that included the eponymous hot sauce.  While my business trip allowed me to visit some of the notable New Orleans restaurants, like Gallatoire's and and Antoine's, I did not have a chance to try any of the  Tabasco week menus.  That missed opportunity got me to thinking once I returned home from that work trip.  

Mardi Gras was about a week away, and, I needed a recipe  to make a special dish for my beautiful Angel.  The Tabasco Week got me to thinking about a small Tabasco Cookbook that has been sitting on the bookshelf.  I pulled out the cookbook, paged through the recipes and came across a recipe for Red Snapper Stew.

This Red Snapper Stew recipe was just right, because, in the back of my mind, I was looking to makes something different for Mardi Gras.  I wanted to do something different than a gumbo, creole or etoufee. Don't get me wrong, I love all of those dishes.  But, I have made them before.  I wanted to make something new, and, perhaps, learn something along the way. 

Image from Pew Trusts

That something was not what I expected.  As it turns out, red snapper happens to be quite the controversial fish in the Gulf of Mexico.  Fishermen have been hauling in red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1840s, originally around Pensacola, Florida.  By the end of the century, fishermen and scientists began to notice that the stocks of red snapper were being depleted in the areas where they were fishing.  So, the fishermen moved to other parts of the Gulf. The stocks eventually depleted there as well.  Meanwhile, as shrimping increased in the Gulf, the shrimpers began to catch red snapper fry in the shrimp trawls.  The double whammy made itself present in the overall stock of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.  Simply put, red snapper were being overfished.   

As a result, the federal government imposed restrictions on the fishing of red snapper in federally controlled waters.  Those restrictions set the Red Snapper season for both recreational anglers and federally permitted for hire "components."  That season was only 3 days for the former but 42 days for the latter.  That 3 day season for recreational anglers is where the controversy began.  Where it went next is quite the story.

The man who tries to change the law by breaking it.

As it turns out, in 2017, the Commerce Department's Director of Policy and Strategic Planning -- Earl Comstock -- advised the Secretary of the Commerce Department -- Wilbur Ross -- that the latter should extend the red snapper season for recreational anglers by thirty-nine days.  The new, forty-two day fishing season would, in Director Comstock's opinion, result in overfishing of red snapper and maybe even a lawsuit.  But all of that would be okay, at least in Comstock's view, because it would lead to a "significant achievement," namely, action by Congress to change the rules for the red snapper season.  In other words, Director Comstock counseled Secretary Ross to violate the law in order to get Congress to change that law.  And, in what could only happen in the current administration, Secretary Ross violated the law and extended the season, thereby prompting a lawsuit by two environmental groups.  Those groups wanted decisions to be made based upon sustainability and accountability, not just on fisherman having a longer period to snag a snapper.

Picture from Caller-Times

The lawsuit worked its way through the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to a settlement.  The settlement provided that the extension of the red snapper season was a "one-time action."  This suggests that recreational anglers will not see such a long season again, at least in federal waters.  Given the state of the red snapper stocks, hat may be a good thing. The preliminary estimates show that, after the extended season in 2017, recreational anglers exceeded the catch limits by fifty percent.  Additional extended seasons could simply further deplete the stocks further.  And, the proposed action by Congress could -- just like any action by Congress -- simply make things worse.

One would think that the settlement would allow red snapper to breathe easier.  However, the current administration has now proposed exempted fishing permits that would allow each of the five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas) to regulate the state and federal seasons.  Only time will tell if that is a good idea (but I have my own opinion on that point).

Back to the recipe, I bought some red snapper from my local grocery store along with some fish for this stew.  In the end, the Red Snapper Stew is not what I would have expected. It was not very stew-like.  But, it was very delicious.  The spices worked extremely well together and -- with that Tabasco Sauce -- there was a good kick to the dish.  This is definitely a dish for Mardi Gras.

RED SNAPPER STEW

Recipe from Tabasco's Cookbook (pg. 70)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/4 pound red snapper or white fish fillets

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron

2 16 ounce cans whole tomatoes, undrained, chopped

1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce

3/4 pound okra, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Cooked rice

Ingredients:

1.  Prepare the fish.  In a medium bowl, mash together the garlic, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, thyme, bay leaf, allspice and oil, forming a paste.  Spread the mixture on the fish and set aside. 

2.  Prepare the stew.  In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, pepper and saffron and cook over 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and liquid, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the Tabasco sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.   Add the fish, okra, and shrimp.  Simmer the stew, uncovered, for 6 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork  Serve hot over rice. 

ENJOY!

Pesce al Palermitana

Shortly after I married my beautiful Angel, Clare, I had to travel for work to Las Vegas.  We had only been married for a few months and I was going to have to spend a couple weeks away from her.  Although the work opportunity was an important one, I also wanted to spend some time with my wife in Las Vegas.  Fortunately, she was able to fly out and join me for the second week of my trip.

I had a special dinner planned for one evening during the week Clare was in Las Vegas.  Before I arrived, I read an article in La Cucina Italiana about a restaurant in the Wynn, called Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, which was setting itself apart with respect to Italian coastal cuisine.  The chef and owner, Paul Bartolotta, had fresh seafood shipped from Italy to Las Vegas on an almost daily basis.  Both Clare and I love seafood, and, based upon what I had read, there was no question that this would be the restaurant where we could have a special dinner.

The view from our cabana at Bartolotta

I can still remember that dinner.  After arriving, we were escorted by the host through the restaurant and outside to a small cabana.  Our table was within the covered refuge, keeping us away from the hot desert sun while providing us with a view of an amazing pool.  The pool had large, metallic globes suspended in the water as schools of koi fish swam around.   After being seated and ordering some wine, the waiter came by our table with a cart.  The cart was loaded with fresh seafood, all on ice.  The waiter explained the options, whole fish, lobsters, shrimp, and much, much more.   We ordered a whole fish, which was cooked and served perfectly.  

Ever since that night, I have wanted to go back with Clare to Bartollota.  We have not been able to do that, partly because, when we got to Las Vegas, we end up trying other restaurants.  Recently, I was reading an article in Saveur, which included a recipe from Paul Bartollota for Pesce alla Palermitana.  I decided that I would make the recipe, so that both my beautiful and I could relive some of the memories of that wonderful night.

PESCE ALLA PALERMITANA

Recipe by Paul Bartolotta and printed in

Saveur, Vol. 146, Apr. 2012

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces of fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

1 cup of dry white wine

1/4 cup pitted small green olives

1/4 cup capers, rinsed

3 tablespoons of oregano, roughly chopped, plus 5 sprigs

Juice of 1 lemon

2 one pound red snapper fish, gutted, cleaned and scaled

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Prepare the sauce and cook the fish.  Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in a 14 inch high sided skillet over medium-high heat; add tomatoes and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring until soft, about six minutes.  Add potatoes, wine, olives, capers, oregano sprigs, juice and 3/4 cup water; boil.  Season fish with salt and pepper, add to skillet; transfer to oven, and cook, basting fish with sauce every few minutes, until fish is cooked through, about twenty minutes.

2.  Finish the sauce.  Transfer fish to serving platter, and transfer skillet to stove over medium high heat.  Cook sauce until reduced and thickened, about ten minutes   Stir in remaining oil, chopped oregano, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.   Pour sauce over fish to serve.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

The best pairing for this dish is white wine.  The use of fish as an ingredient and the use of white wine in the recipe are the two principal signs that white wine would work best.  The use of green olives, lemon and capers, require a smoother white wine, like a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc, but lighter grape varietals, like Viognier and Falaghina, would also work well.  A couple of wines that I have reviewed that should go well with this dish include:

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard -- Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay
Comus, Maryland, USA
Flavors of pears with some apples, only a hint of oak.

Feudi di San Gregorio -- Falanghina
100% Falaghina
Calabria, Italy
Flavors of apples, grapefruit, with a little lemon and pineapple

 ENJOY!

Poisson Rouge

Recently, I was reading an article called The Light of Morning: The Cuisine of Haiti in Saveur.  It was an interesting perspective of Joceyln Zuckerman.  She traveled to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 and discussed her experience with Haitian food during her trip.  In particular, the author went to the town of Gros-Morne, in northwestern Haiti.  Zuckerman's discussion of the food and cuisine is fascinating because it provides an insight into how people make the most out of the little that they have.

One of the dishes that Zuckerman had during her stay was Poisson Rouge or "Red Fish."   The name does not come from the use of red fish.  Instead, it comes from the deep red, spicy broth in which the fish is cooked and served.

As Zuckerman described the dish, "[m]y poisson rouge, a whole red snapper from the nearby seaside town of Gonaives, swims in a brick-colored sauce rich with garlic and the heat of Scotch bonnets; it comes with hunger-busting mounds of rice and cornmeal mush and dense cylinders of boiled plantain and cassava."  The recipe provided by Saveur produced that brick-red sauce, but it did not call for rice, cornmeal mush or boiled plantain and cassava.  Instead, it called for boiled beets and carrots. I am not a big fan of either boiled beets or carrots.  I tried to substitute a boiled yam, but that did not work well either. 

This is a great dish.  I will make rice with this dish the next time.  I think that the rice could absorb the "brick-colored sauce" and be just as tasty as the fish.

POISSON ROUGE

Adapted from Saveur Magazine

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 1-pound red snappers, scaled and cleaned

1 cup of thinly sliced shallots

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion

1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme

1 Scotch Bonnet chile, split

1/4 cup canola oil 

6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

Boiled carrots, beets, or other root vegetables

Sliced tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Marinate the fish.  Score sides of fish, and place in shallow dish.    Whisk together half the shallots, lime juice, scallions, mustard, thyme, chile, salt and pepper  in a bowl and pour over fish.  Marinate for 30 minutes.

2.  Begin making the cooking liquid.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomato paste and cook until it begins to caramelize, about two minutes.  Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring, until almost evaporated, about eight to ten minutes.  Remove fish from marinade and set aside.  Add the marinade and sugar to the skillet.  Cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about four to five minutes.  

3.  Cook the fish.  Add the fish and 3/4 cup of water and cover skillet.  Cook, turning the fish once, until the fish is cooked through, about eight to twelve minutes.

4.  Plate the dish.  Transfer fish to a large serving platter.  Season cooking liquid with salt and pepper.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer over the fish.  Garnish with remaining shallots.  Serve with carrots, beets, yams or other boiled vegetables.  Also serve with tomato slices.

PAIRING THIS DISH

This dish is best paired with a white wine.  I think a lighter, fruitier wine could work well with this dish, such as a Pinot Grigio.  In this case, I paired a Chenin Blanc from South Africa with the Poisson Rouge.

ENJOY!

Brodetto dei Pescatori di Abruzzo (Abruzzese Fishermen's Stew)

Back in April 2008, I posted the very first recipe on Chef Bolek, which was a recipe for Brodetto alla Pecarese.  This recipe was not just any recipe; instead, it represented a few firsts for me.  It was the first time that I took several recipes for a dish and tried to navigate my way through them -- taking bits from each one -- to create a dish that I could call my own.  It was also the first dish that I "mastered," with some (including myself) calling it my "signature dish."  Finally, it was the first time that I actively researched  a recipe so that I could understand the various ingredients and cooking processes for the recipe (as opposed to simply following a recipe).  Looking back over the past two and one-half years, I've seen that my cooking skills (and blogging skills) have grown a lot.  And, for the first recipe of this new year, I decided that I would return to where it all started.

Generally, a brodetto is a stew made by fishermen along the coast of the Adriatic Sea in cities like Venice and regions like Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche and Abruzzo.  Brodetto was the food of the poor; it was made by fishermen from the catch that was not good enough for the market or by their wives from the fish and seafood that did not sell at the market.  Brodettos were not considered the food of high society or even the middle class.  It was the food of the working poor, and, as is often the case, that food can often rival the food prepared in the finest restaurants.

Perhaps the fact that Brodetto was basically considered "peasant fare" is what attracted me to this dish, but it could also be the fact that Brodetto can vary significantly from region to region.  Fishermen used to use whatever fish, shellfish or other catch was on hand, as well as other local ingredients.  For example, in Abruzzo, fishermen would add a lot pepperoncino or crushed red pepper flakes, because peppers are used a lot in the local cuisine.  Many recipes for Abruzzese brodettos also call for the use of saffron, because farmers cultivated the flower in the fields near the capital of Aquila.  While I usually include saffron in the brodetto, it is to acknowledge a local ingredient.  I recognize that most fishermen do not have ready access to such an ingredient.

When making brodetto, there are a few things to keep in mind.  First, a Brodetto uses a couple types of fish and a couple types of other seafood, such as shellfish or squid; however, when you are only making it for yourself or for a couple of people, I use one type of fish and a couple types of other seafood, usually shrimp and squid.  Second, you can use either whole fish or fillets.  I generally prefer to use fillets because it is easier to cook the fish along with the other seafood.   Finally, I try to use a white wine that from the region in which I am basing the brodetto.  In Abruzzo, that would be a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo; however, that wine can sometimes be hard to find.  So, any dry white wine -- or for that matter -- any white wine from an area close to the region would be okay to use.  When making this recipe, I used an Orvieto, which is a white wine from the neighboring Umbria region.

BRODETTO DEI PESCATORI DI ABRUZZO (Abruzzese Fishermen's Stew)
A Chef Bolek Original

                                                                 Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 pound of fish (such as red snapper, bluefish, turbot and/or tilapia)
1/2 pound of shrimp, preferably U-12 or 16/20 count shrimp
1/3 pound of cleaned squid (both heads and body)
1 can of whole tomatoes (canned with tomato puree and basil)
1 can of water
1 cup of a dry white wine (such as a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo or Orvieto)
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium sized shallot, diced
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 large pinch of saffron stands
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chiffonade
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Ground peppercorns, to taste
Baguette, sliced

Directions:

1.  Saute onions and garlic.  Pour the olive oil into a pot and heat to medium. Add the onion and shallots and cook for about ten minutes until the onions are translucent.  Then add the garlic. Continue to saute the onions, shallots and garlic for about two to three minutes more.  

2.  Add tomatoes, liquid and spices.  Add the whole tomatoes and, with a potato masher, work to break up the tomatoes.  Then add the white wine and the water.  Mix the ingredients together with a slotted spoon, continuing to break up the tomatoes. Add the crushed red pepper, saffron, bay leaves, salt and ground pepper. Continue to stir until everything is well incorporated.  This is the base of the brodetto and it should simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3.  Add seafood to broth.  Add the fish and allow the fish to cook for about four to five minutes or until the fish begins to become opaque.  Add the squid and continue to cook for about three to four minutes or until the squid starts to becomes opaque.  Add the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp is opaque. 

4.  Finish the dish.  Remove the brodetto from the heat. Toast the baguette slices and put a slice at the bottom of each bowl. Spoon the brodetto into each bowl and top the brodetto with flat leaf parsley.

ENJOY!

For more information about Brodetto, check out About.com.

Brodetto alla Pescarese

This is my take on a classic Italian dish. A brodetto is a seafood stew often prepared by fishermen along the Adriatic sea using whatever fresh fish is available to them. Thus, the fish used in a brodetto almost always varies, and, to add to the complexity, a brodetto may also contain shrimp, mussels, clams and/or calamari.

The spices used in a brodetto also vary from town-to-town and region-to-region. In this recipe, I focus on spices and flavors that are emblematic of Abruzzo -- crushed red pepper and saffron. I do not provide measurements for the spices because I go by taste, adding a little at a time until I achieve the desired taste.

Enjoy.
 
BRODETTO ALLA PESCARESE
(serves approx. 6-8)
A Chef Bolek Original

2.5 pounds of fish, preferably different types (such as red snapper, bluefish, turbot and/or tilapia)
1.5 pounds of shellfish, preferably 16-20 count shrimp
2 cans of whole tomatoes (canned with tomato puree and basil)
2 cans of water
1.5 cups of a dry white wine (preferably a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo)
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium sized shallot, diced
1 large onion, sliced
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Saffron stands, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
Olive oil
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Mixed peppercorns, ground, to taste
Baguette, sliced

Pour a little olive oil into a pot and heat to medium. Add the onion and shallots and cook for a few minutes. Then add the garlic. Cook until the onions, shallots and garlic are translucent.

Add the whole tomatoes, water and the white wine. Mix the ingredients together with a slotted spoon, breaking up the tomatoes. Add the crushed red pepper, saffron, dried basil, salt and ground pepper. Continue to mix. This is the base of the brodetto and it should simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add the fish and allow the fish to cook for a few minutes. Then add the shrimp. Once the fish and shrimp are cooked through, remove the brodetto from the heat.

Toast the baguette slices and put a slice at the bottom of each bowl. Spoon the brodetto into each bowl and top the brodetto with flat leaf parsley.